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The Inquiry

Thank you for considering to make a difference in the lives of New York City’s waiting children. Becoming a foster or adoptive parent will help a child feel safe and loved. All of the children that are photo-listed on the Heart Gallery NYC website are legally freed for adoption and in need of permanent, loving homes.

To learn more about fostering or adopting a child in New York City, please contact the NYC Administration for Children’s Services’ Parent Recruitment Hotline at 212-676-WISH (toll-free out of NYC, 877-676-WISH) to speak with a Parent Recruitment Associate. Please let them know you are calling about a child that you saw on the Heart Gallery NYC website.

The first step towards adopting a Heart Gallery NYC child is to become a certified adoptive resource parent through an adoption agency. A Parent Recruitment Associate can refer you to an agency that will invite you to an orientation meeting so that you may learn more about the adoption process.

If you already have a home study and are approved as an adoptive parent by a foster care or adoption agency, we can forward your name and contact information to the agency responsible for the child or children that you inquired about. To inquire about a Heart Gallery NYC child, please click on the child’s photo in the online gallery and fill out the brief questionnaire. You will be contacted by a Heart Gallery NYC recruitment specialist and requested to send a copy of your home study. Your home study will be forwarded to the child’s caseworker, so that they may consider you as a possible adoptive family for the child.

 

The Adoption Process

To learn more about adoption, please visit the NYC Administration for Children’s Services Foster/adopt page. Listed below are the basic steps required to adopt a child in New York City.

 
 

STEP 1
GET THE INFORMATION

STEP 2
ATTEND AN ORIENTATION AND COMPLETE THE APPLICATION

Contact the WISH Line at 877-676-WISH (9474) OR Request an information packet online

Attend an orientation with one of ACS’ foster care providers to get an in-depth explanation of the certification process. At the end of the orientation, complete and return the application to the foster care agency.

STEP 3
GET CERTIFIED

 

Once the agency approves your application, they will contact you to begin the certification process, which includes:

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FOSTER PARENT TRAINING

Foster parents are required to attend a 30-hour Model Approach to Partnerships and Parenting (MAPP) training to help you assess your strengths as a parent and develop any special skills that may be required to meet the needs of a child in foster care. You will learn how to work with birth parents and help a child adjust to their temporary home. You will also learn about your rights and responsibilities as a foster parent and the supports available to you, including financial subsidies.

MEDICAL CLEARANCE

Foster parents must be healthy enough to care for a child and are required to submit medical clearances signed by a licensed and registered physician. All other household members must also submit medical clearances.

BACKGROUND CHECK

All adults (age 18 and older) who live in your home must be fingerprinted and cleared through the State Central Register for Abuse and Neglect (SCR).

HOME STUDY

The home study provides the foster care agency and, in some cases, the courts with the information needed to determine that your home is safe and that you will be able to care for the child. You will be asked to provide supporting financial, emotional, and mental health documentation about your ability to be a competent foster parent. The agency's social worker will meet with you several times during the home study process which generally takes several months to complete. After the successful completion of your training, medical clearance, background checks and home study, you become a certified foster parent.

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STEP 4
A CHILD IS PLACED IN YOUR HOME

STEP 5
LOOKING TO ADOPT?

Once you're a certified foster/adoptive parent, your agency can place foster children in your home. Before a child is placed in your home, the caseworker will tell you about any visitation schedules with birth parents and siblings, and give you information that will help you provide the best care for the child. If the match is right, the child will be placed with you on either a short-term or longer-term basis.

If you wish to adopt a child, there are additional steps you must take after being certified as a foster parent.

01. MATCHING

Your agency will help you begin the adoption matching process. Visiting the Heart Gallery NYC & Heart Gallery New York websites and the New York State Family Album is a good way to begin your search. Once a match is made, you and the child can begin visiting each other.

02. PRE-ADOPTION PLACEMENT

During this pre-adoptive phase, the child will come to live with you on a temporary basis which will allow you to learn more about each other. If you decide to move forward, you will sign an Adoptive Placement Agreement confirming your intent to adopt.

03. FILING THE ADOPTION PETITION

When you are ready to finalize the adoption, your agency will assist you with finding an attorney to help you file the adoption petition in Family Court. It will take approximately 6 to 8 months– and in some cases longer– before the adoption can be finalized. The agency will remain involved with both you and the child during this time.

04. FINALIZE THE ADOPTION

When the Family Court judge approves the adoption, you and your child will go to court to sign the final adoption papers.